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That’s right, you heard it here first! We’re just putting the finishing touches on our as-yet untitled new record. It’s a bit of a change from ‘Primordial Cordial’ – this is purely instrumental and rawer in terms of production. Our superstar trumpet player Tom Wilding has pulled out all the stops to record and mix it solely in our underground lair. We’re very excited to let it see the daylight next year… Can’t wait to hear what you all think about it!

Yo. If you’ve seen us live any time in the last few years, or if you’ve got your hands on a pre-release copy of Primordial Cordial, you will know the name of our regular guest vocalist, Nuala Honan, and you will know that she doth have a right good pair o’ lungs on her (as they say). Well, those lungs have been hard at work on an album of their own. The rest of Nuala has been quite heavily involved, too. Otherwise this post would be to tell you about the new release by Nuala Honan’s Lungs, which definitely has a different ring to it than news of a new album by Nuala Honan herself, which is actually what I’m supposed to be going on about here. Yep and yes, people: today is your lucky day, because all Nuala’s hard work has culminated in a fantastic new album which is just out – like, as of right now. Hurrah! Entitled The Tortoise (I don’t know why, but maybe it’s something to do with this?), this album is Nuala on finest form. The Tortoise draws heavily on Nuala’s love of good old rootsy country music, so it’s pretty different from the songs she’s done with us. Different in a really good, gutsy and country-soulful kind of way. Get yourself to her website, check it out, show some love, buy yourself a copy.

To celebrate the setting free of The Tortoise, Nuala has a couple of album launch shows coming up:

Two very talented and lovely people who contributed vocal tracks to Primordial Cordialhave brand new albums of their own out and we urge you to give them a listen. It’ll be a treat for your ears. Ear-bacon, if you will.

First up, the golden-voiced Nuala Honan, who guests on four tracks on Primordial Cordial, has just finished recording her debut album, The Tortoise, and it’s sounding lush. If you haven’t yet heard Nuala’s solo stuff, you may be pleasantly surprised by her folk and country sensibilities, which really blossom on these recordings. It’s pretty different from the stuff she does with us, and we love it. Check out the video for All Is Not Lost below. And then buy the album. Because it’s great. (And then buy our album too, if you haven’t already).

The awesomely talented Dizraeli performs on two tracks on our album (you’ve heard them, right? If not, stop reading this and listen to them immediately.) Now he’s back with his band, the Small Gods, having just finished their second album, Moving in the Dark. I went to see Dizraeli and the Small Gods’ album launch gig at the Fleece in Bristol on Saturday night, and they were mindbuggeringly good. Be sure to go and see them if they’re playing anywhere near you. Meanwhile, check out the promotional video below. It’s good. Almost too good. In fact, you probably shouldn’t click on this unless you’ve had some preparatory listening-to-exceptionally-good-shit training.

(On a less musical but distinctly hoppy note, this week’s Beer of the Weekend was a cheeky little IPA by Wiper and True, currently on tap at the Hillgrove pub. I stumbled across this one on Sunday evening and it took me by surprise: hopped to high-heaven, bitter and fruity, with a seven-point-something percent sting in its tail. There’s a lot going on in this beer, and it’s mainly good. It’s made here in Bristol, too. The internet just told me that. I’ll definitely be heading back while they still have it on tap. There’s loads of good beer around in Bristol at the moment, isn’t there? As official band booze advisor, I welcome your recommendations always. Oh, and the albums I mentioned – don’t forget about them.)

It had been a long time since we’d last played the Heads – the venue at which this band first shambled on stage in a form loosely resembling its present self, albeit perhaps younger, more lithe, more wasted, more likely to wear capes and/or ludicrous hats (Yeah, I know what you might be thinking – but my Oscar the Grouch hat is not ludicrous: it’s awesome. OK?) . Our first show here was so long ago that I wasn’t even in the band yet, and I’m pretty sure I’ve been doing this for like almost my entire life, pretty much since the day I emerged into the world all slippery and bedraggled, feebly pawing at my first bass guitar…

So, a return to the Heads and to our one-time home town was bound to be a nostalgic one for all of us. It was powerfully so for me, having arrived by train at Southampton Central and trekked up to Talking Heads on foot – a walk I hadn’t done in ten years. I was surprised I could even remember the way. Southampton hasn’t exactly changed beyond recognition, but there were notable differences: some shit pubs had turned into good ones, some good pubs seemed to have turned shit (I was duty-bound to investigate); some kebab shops had new names; my old student digs (where I shared a damp, weed-invaded basement with a great many woodlice) now looked like a respectable house with proper windows and everything; there was a good new beer shop on Portswood High Street (from which, incidentally, was procured this week’s Beer of the Weekend: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Take a bow, you delicious bottle of robust but not overly-sweet chocolatey boozy goodness).

The Talking Heads itself, I am pleased to say, hasn’t changed much. It’s still a good old unpretentious pub-derived live music venue frequented by lovely people. It was great to see a few old faces from way back, and equally cool – and pleasantly surprising – to see a lot of new faces too. It’s good to see a new wave of people supporting a decent venue that was on the verge of closure a year or so back.

So, friends old and new, thanks for another great night. We’ll definitely not leave it so long before our next visit. Meanwhile, give us a shout in the comments box if you’ve got any memories to share of those early Talking Heads gigs. Anyone got any photos?! Would be equally good to hear from any newcomers, too: I spoke to some lovely people before and after the gig. Where should we go next time for pre-gig drinks? What’s the best takeaway these days? More importantly, just stay in touch so we can be sure to see you next time x x

Hurrah! Saturday night’s Brighton show was the fourth consecutive sold out show on our little album preview tour, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say a massive thanks to all who came for making the crushingly boring trip down the M4 worthwhile (a small stash of Bristol Beer Factory’s Smoked Chipotle Chilli Stout also soothed the journey a little for me. A beaut of a beer). The Blind Tiger was hot, sweaty and heaving – just the way we like it. Brighton, you know how to make a band feel wanted. It was great to see the bar staff having it, too! A cool venue, to which we hope to return soon.

Thanks again to Dizraeli and Nuala for joining us to recreate their inimitable guest appearances on the album, and for Solko for providing awesome support. Tight.

Exeter, I admit it: I was dubious when they said we were going to play in a museum. And that it was a 1920s themed swing-dance evening. I thought the promoters must’ve seen the video for The Alibi and mistaken us for genuine vaudevillian hep-cats. I had visions of legions of disappointed lindy-hoppers ransacking a medieval weapons display cabinet and chasing us out of Devon… But thankfully my fears were unfounded. What a lovely crowd you were! And you all looked amazing, too. I wish we could have hung out together. Maybe next time we will. At your place? Looking forward to it already.

On a side note, how did the promotors know that Tesco dry cider was the thing that’s been missing from our rider all these years? We had no idea. Hats off to you, sirs.

It was great being back at Fiddlers for our first Bristol show in a while. Thanks to everyone who came along. We had a lovely time (despite a couple of small technical issues) and hope you did too. It was especially great to have Tom A back on violin, not least for instigating some backstage games of extreme ball-slapping (ask us to show you some time, it’s a great warm-up). Highlights for me were some world-class lunging from our brass section, and Nuala accidentally propositioning the crowd. And of course the Carny Villains’ excellent cover of Walk This Way. Thanks to them for supporting!

We’re aware that a lot of people didn’t manage to get tickets because the show sold out well in advance. So apologies if you contacted us but we were unable to help. It was nice to hear from you anyway. You’re awesome. We missed you.

The good news is we’ve just confirmed another Bristol date for the spring. Check back here for details soon, it’ll be a wicked line up and we don’t want you to miss out!

Exciting times! Ahead of its official release later this year, PRIMORDIAL CORDIAL is now available exclusively for you good people who come to our shows and visit our website. It’ll be available via all the usual outlets, including iTunes and some record stores, in the summer – but we’re too damn excited to keep it under wraps any longer! To get your mitts on a copy, come and see us at one of our shows (see gigs page), or…

PRIMORDIAL CORDIAL is simmering on the stove and will be ready to drink as soon as it’s cooled to a safe level.

And it’s a heady brew alright! 56 minutes 16 seconds (average contents) of Anti-Social delight: our unique and much-loved formula of intoxicating instrumental goodness flavoured with a dash of Dizraeli, some freshly-squeezed Nuala, a twist of Tenor Fly and a drop of Dom Coyote.

We are thirsty for it. You are thirsty for it. Our mums are thirsty for it. Everyone, pretty much. And although there’ll be lashings and lashings to go round, we are offering you – the readers of these infrequent newsletters, the people who vibe up the shows, our nearest and dearest, bestest mates and those we secretly want to be just like – the chance to come straight to the front of the queue with your receptacles held aloft.

For tactical reasons, we’ve decided to push the official release date back to June (industry stuff, PR gubbins, publishing thingumy, other boring shizz you don’t need to know about) BUT WE ARE STILL MAKING THE ALBUM AVAILABLE TO YOU – AFOREMENTIONED PEOPLES OF EXCELLENCE – FROM 4th FEBRUARY, AS PROMISED!

So, how can you get your velvet-gloved hands on this preliminary fan-only release? Well, as of Monday 4th February you could download it on MP3 through this here website. Better still, you could order it on an old-fashioned Compact Disc so you get to really appreciate the sweet artwork drawn by our new friend in Brazil, Carlos Araujo. It’s real pretty. Of course, the absolute best of the ways to buy PRIMORDIAL CORDIAL is to come along to one of our exclusive gigs marking the fan-only release and buy it off us in person so we can give you a hug and tell you that your new spectacles suit you remarkably well, where did you get them?